Steelers prep for heavy dose of run game

With having a bye week last week, Pittsburgh had the extra time to rest up and prepare for Sunday’s game. Now set to take on the Steelers, the team knows they have a tough challenge in front of them, but are also confident as they prepare to and get their first playoff victory in 10 years.

Offensively, the Steelers are averaging 25.4 points and 377.9 total yards (273.8 in passing and 104.2 in rushing) per game.

While Fournette’s late burst skewed the numbers a bit, it was a run made possible by the 36 attempts that came before it as Jacksonville simply wore down Pittsburgh until the Steelers yielded. The Steelers were banged up in their AFC title game loss to New England past year, so being at 100 percent the rest of the way is key for them if they want to come out of the AFC. They’re contract gazing. They’re looking everywhere but at Jacksonville.

Regardless, there is little doubt that the Steelers will need to pay top-dollar for a player like Bell, who is widely regarded as the best running back in the NFL.

As long as the Steelers can establish the run and put up some touchdowns on offense, they should be able to come away with the win and advance to the AFC Championship.

The Steelers are heavy favorites for a reason. But doing so just three days before the biggest game of the season feels selfish.

After the Steelers flipped on the film of that game, they should have had zero difficulty focusing on Jacksonville. The last time had been the Ravens’ first four seasons of existence (1996-99). The Steelers finished fifth in the National Football League in total defense (306.9) and 10th in run defense (105.8).

Bortles has picked up the slack at times, but he’s not a guy the Jaguars rely on week in and week out to carry the offense. WR Antonio Brown led National Football League with 1,533 yards receiving and ranked fifth with 101 catches, becoming only player in National Football League history with at least 100 receptions in five consecutive seasons … But that was a game in which Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw five interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns by the Jaguars.

PITTSBURGH – coordinator Todd Haley said he considers the 30-9 loss to the on October 8 a turning point for his offense.

Quarterback Blake Bortles rushed for more yards (88) than he threw for (87) in Jacksonville’s 10-3 postseason victory over Buffalo last Sunday.

But what about that matchup in Week 5? Another quirky statistic that could have the Jaguars optimistic about their trip North? Since 2012, teams that lost a regular season game by 20-plus points are 1-12 against that same opponent in the postseason.

Jacksonville opened the season by blowing out the Houston Texans on the road behind 10 sacks and four forced turnovers.

Pittsburgh’s Week 5 loss to the Jaguars served as the turning point for the Steelers’ season in 2017.

Although Roethlisberger has played better, he should still be wary of a dominant Jacksonville defense. That doesn’t mean the quarterback will have much success in the divisional playoffs, either. The strategy also limited downfield options, giving the Jaguars’ second-ranked pass rush plenty of time to create pressure and force Roethlisberger to make mistakes. But the ex-LSU prodigy bulldozed the Steelers in Week 5, rampaging for a season-high 181 yards (6.46 per tote) and two touchdowns. Take out that opening bomb, and Brown gained just 108 yards on the 18 other passes thrown his way. “It’s going to be something I’ve never been a part of”. Most noteworthy, in the passing game where Bell has 85 catches. He posted a 123.7 passer rating in a win over the Seattle Seahawks, as well as a 128.2 rating against Baltimore.